This invention relates generally to lottery ticket dispensing machines, and more particularly to an automated vending machine for dispensing a predetermined number of instant scratch lottery tickets. Specifically, the vending machine includes a dispensing mechanism which accepts a continuous strip of instant scratch lottery tickets perforated at intervals and separates a predetermined number of the tickets from the continuous strip according to the ticket selection and corresponding computer generated command.
Although it is widely believed that lotteries are a recent phenomenon, history tells us that lotteries have been around for quite some time now. One form or another of the lottery has been present dating back to the mid-18.sup.th century. For example, there is evidence of the lottery being active with the pharaohs of Egypt. Keno, now a video form of the lottery, is over 3,000 years old and was first played in China to help fund the building of The Great Wall. El Gordo, Spain's most popular lotto game, was established in 1763 and is the oldest continually operating lottery game in the world. The lottery also has a relatively lengthy history in North America. For example, Ivy league private universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Brown were helped to be built with lottery revenues. Further, the Revolutionary war was partially funded with lottery revenues.
Presently, consumer support for the lottery is at an all time high. It has been 32 years since the inaugural New Hampshire sweepstakes and the lotteries have now grown to serve more than 210 million Americans, some 80% of the nation's population. Today, there are two basic types of lotteries, the instant scratch off ticket and on-line gaming. Instant games enable the player to scratch off a masked area on the ticket to immediately reveal the game result and prize. On-line lotteries allow participants to select a number which will be a winner if all or part of it matches numbers selected in a scheduled drawing. On-line lotteries are, by far, the most popular, accounting for nearly 75% of the worldwide lottery. Recently, with the innovation of faster on-line games, the distinction between the two categories has blurred, and other forms of lottery are emerging. For example, video lotteries are also demonstrating popularity, particularly among younger players who are drawn to technology and style of play. Other lottery forms include: Lotto, a different form of on-line gaming; Power Ball, now played in 21 states offering one of the bigger prize rewards; Numbers; Keno, a form of video or televised gaming; Customized games, for particular preferences for different regions of the country or world; Instant games, for people who want to know if they are immediately a winner or loser; Video lottery and Televised lottery.
According to a recent survey conducted by one of the largest lottery companies in the business, Americans approve of legalized gaming by a 2 to 1 margin. Some of the reasons for such widespread approval reside in the many benefits that the lottery are believed to create. For example, the lottery is believed to create jobs and to be an acceptable form of entertainment. Also, legalized gaming is believed to keep taxes lower because a portion of its revenue is returned to the government which helps finance such things as education, health and public works projects in communities where the games are being played. A rough breakdown on how the lottery revenue is believed to be distributed is as follows: 50% prizes to the winners; 35% to civic gain as mentioned above; 12% to the lottery administration; and 3% to the lottery system operations.
The instant invention is directed to lottery vending machines for dispensing instant scratch lottery tickets of the kind described above. The machines are effective for dispensing tickets which are perforated at intervals determined by the type of scratch game. The ticket intervals can be anywhere from 2 inches up to 16 inches. When a ticket selection is made, a printed circuit board activates the dispensing mechanism of the instant invention for dispensing the selected number of tickets. The vending machines are distributed to a variety of different public or private locations which desire to have access to instant scratch lottery tickets of the kind described above. The vending machines provide for a different sales outlet for the lottery tickets compared to the traditional outlets such as a gas station or a convenient store.
The instant invention relates to an automated vending machine for dispensing instant scratch lottery tickets perforated at intervals in a continuous strip. The vending machine comprises a framing assembly for housing a dispensing mechanism comprising the instant invention. A computer driven printed circuit board is further housed within the framing assembly for determining the distance that the continuous strip of tickets will travel, which distance corresponds to the number of tickets that will be selectively dispensed. The dispensing mechanism comprises a motor which is operated by the printed circuit board for driving a drive gear which meshes with a driven gear for rotation of a first pinch roller whereby the first pinch roller cooperates with a second pinch roller for advancing the continuous strip of tickets forward through feed guides and between said pinch rollers past a stationary cutting blade, subsequently hitting a deflector cover for directing the strip of tickets in the opposite direction until it reaches the pre-set distance generated by the printed circuit board. At this point, the motor reverses and the strip of tickets travel backward so that the first perforation engages the apex of the stationary cutting blade for separation of the selected number of tickets from the continuous strip whereby the tickets drop out of the vending machine and the dispensing mechanism returns to a home position. A pair of optic sensors are strategically mounted on support plates of the dispensing mechanism for detecting the leading edge of the lottery tickets and communicating the same to the printed circuit board for corresponding operation of the motor in either the forward or backward direction.
Accordingly among the several objects of the instant invention are: the provision of a lottery vending machine for dispensing a selected number of instant scratch lottery tickets; the provision of a lottery vending machine which may be selectively located at any desirable public or private location; the provision of a lottery vending machine which houses a specially constructed automated dispensing mechanism; the provision of such a dispensing mechanism having a stationary cutting blade for pull separating the selected number of tickets from the continuous strip; and the provision of a lottery vending machine which is cost effective to manufacture and easy to use.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.